Davis Wins as Trojans Roll to Title

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sophomore Austin Davis collected his first career tournament title on Saturday, posting a final round 1-under par 71 en route to a victory at the Battle at Blackthorn.

Davis edged teammates Javan Johnson and Adam Kasitz to earn the win. Davis finished at 3-under par 141 (70-71) while Johnson posted a 142 with back-to-back rounds of 71. Kasitz, who entered the final round tied with Davis atop the leaderboard, finished in a tie for third place at 143 (70-73).

Davis did most of his damage on the par-4's on the 6,992-yard, par-72 layout of Blackthorn Golf Club as the Pendleton, Indiana native played the par-4's at 2-under par, the top mark in the field. Johnson was effective on the par-3's as the redshirt junior All-American was tied for the best mark in the field on par-3's at 1-under. Davis and Johnson were tied for the most birdies in the field as both carded eight birdies in the 36-hole event.

The 11th-ranked Trojans rolled to the team title with a blistering two-day total of 6-under par 570. The Trojans backed up yesterday's team round of 4-under par 284 with a 2-under par 286 en route to a 22-shot victory over second place Lawrence Tech.

Junior Noah Ross bounced back from a poor opening round to card a 1-under par 71 in the final round that included birdies on three of his last four holes. Junior Drew Pickering added an 80 for the Trojans in the final round.

Taylor led the field in birdies (31) and pars (112) while also leading the field in par-3 scoring (+3), par-4 scoring (+17), and finishing second in par-5 scoring (-9).

The win for TU was its second of the season. The Trojans will return to action on Oct. 4-5 when Taylor travels to Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan for the Harbor Shores Intercollegiate.